Catholic Church sources said they had tried to help Jomo leave, but with RSF militia encircling it, he remained trapped.
Abugidin has welcomed any Christian who wants to worship in the city. “There are no other pastors in Darfur in general. I am the only one in El-Fasher, and I usually combine worshippers in one church to save them from random bombings and shootings,” said Abudigin.
Abudigin, who was ordained in 2010, grew up in the Nuba Mountains, a region bordering South Sudan that is protected by another militia, the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement, and has become home to some 700,000 refugees.
El-Fasher has its own displaced persons camps, Abu Shouk and Zamzam. Of the 57 killed on Aug. 11, at least 40 were residents of Abu Shouk. In April, the RSF struck both camps, killing more than 100 people, including 20 children and 10 aid workers.
Apart from stray bullets and bombs, Abudigin said many die from hunger, as people cannot afford what little food there is in the city.
“Many children have malnutrition, and we are going to see many of them dying if they do not get help urgently. There is food in the market, but the people cannot afford it, because they do not have any money now. Again, the food is too expensive,” said the priest.
The church, he said, is not able to help the people because it is also struggling with resources. “As a pastor, I am struggling to cope because what the church sends for upkeep is not enough,” he said. “They used to send me 200,000 Sudanese pounds (USD 330) per month, but now this cannot feed me for two days,” he said.
The United Nations last year declared famine conditions in Zamzam, a camp of displaced persons in the city, but workers for its World Food Program have not been able to get to the city to offer assistance. The militias have also blocked trade and food supply channels, forcing an escalation of food prices.
Abudigin called on the international community and the global Christian community to act quickly to save Sudan from the war, especially El-Fasher.
“Food is urgently needed because hunger is killing people every day. As I am talking to you about hunger, we have lost a child because of it, and another two because of disease, since there are no medicines,” he said.
This article originally appeared here.
